Resources: Career Skills
This section is an on going project I am currently working on during my job search. I am learning a lot about resumes, networking, job searching, social media, helpful resources for new grads, and so on. Not to mention I am learning a lot about myself. Please check back often as this page will grow! I have marked recently added sections with the label "NEW!". I hope this information helps and if you have any questions feel free to contact me.
Build Skills Before You Graduate
I am so lucky that I got involved in volunteering at my school before venturing into the working world. The two years I spent as External Affairs Executive of a group I co-founded at Carleton University called Women in Science and Engineering (CU-WISE) has equipped me with very much improved presentation, writing, and leadership skills. I wrote a blog about my involvement in school that may give you an idea of what I mean.
I don't want to make this section too long because I can write a lot about it, so below is some advice I'd give to students. I hope you find it helpful.
- get involved in volunteering and make sure it's in something you love. Think about what you would be happy doing in your spare time that would be helpful to others. I wanted to get involved in supporting and retaining women in science and engineering. I also know that I love helping people, specifically mentoring and teaching.
- try to do things you're not comfortable with. What I mean is try to work on things you are not very good at. For example, I decided to become External Affairs Executive of CU-WISE because I was shy (yes I am in fact an introvert), nervous when public speaking, and I was a not a good writer. Now everyone thinks I am an extrovert and that I have above average writing skills. I must have done something right venturing out of my comfort zone.
- do a good job in everything you do. Even though volunteering is not a paid job, it is well worth doing as if it was.
- share your enthusiasm about what you do with others. Seeing how happy I am volunteering for CU-WISE, I convinced many students to get involved in their communities as well. Now they don't know how they lived without it.
I am so lucky that I got involved in volunteering at my school before venturing into the working world. The two years I spent as External Affairs Executive of a group I co-founded at Carleton University called Women in Science and Engineering (CU-WISE) has equipped me with very much improved presentation, writing, and leadership skills. I wrote a blog about my involvement in school that may give you an idea of what I mean.
I don't want to make this section too long because I can write a lot about it, so below is some advice I'd give to students. I hope you find it helpful.
- get involved in volunteering and make sure it's in something you love. Think about what you would be happy doing in your spare time that would be helpful to others. I wanted to get involved in supporting and retaining women in science and engineering. I also know that I love helping people, specifically mentoring and teaching.
- try to do things you're not comfortable with. What I mean is try to work on things you are not very good at. For example, I decided to become External Affairs Executive of CU-WISE because I was shy (yes I am in fact an introvert), nervous when public speaking, and I was a not a good writer. Now everyone thinks I am an extrovert and that I have above average writing skills. I must have done something right venturing out of my comfort zone.
- do a good job in everything you do. Even though volunteering is not a paid job, it is well worth doing as if it was.
- share your enthusiasm about what you do with others. Seeing how happy I am volunteering for CU-WISE, I convinced many students to get involved in their communities as well. Now they don't know how they lived without it.
Networking
I went to a MITACS networking workshop at Carleton University and learned a lot from Donna Messer from ConnectUs Canada. I thought I knew networking, especially since I've done it a lot as External Affairs Executive of CU-WISE, but I realize now that I've still got a lot to learn. Since I'm no Donna Messer, I will just stick to explaining to you how important it is. I find that very few students realize that it's true what they say that you're only as good as your network.
Ever since I graduated with my master's from Carleton University and started looking for jobs, I've had the most success in attaining my career goals through meeting people and going to informational events. I always took the time to go to a relevant event in order to learn and to network. Even going to the networking workshop I explained above, I met some people who I could potentially have a valuable professional relationship with, including Donna Messer herself. Not convinced yet? My very first job offer came from networking. At a Carleton University networking event I met a Carleton student who knew me from CU-WISE, read my CU-WISE blogs before, and saw my website (gotta love social media!). At some point I offered him my resume and he said he'd get it off my website. Want another? At the Corporate and Community Social Responsibility Conference in 2009, I met the CEO of a very interesting company who invited me for an interview. Neither of these companies had any jobs listed on their careers page. This confirms what I learned at one of Carleton's workshops: that about 80% of jobs are in what is called "the hidden job market" (jobs that are not advertised to the public). Here are some networking tips:
- networking is not a social skill, it is a science with methodologies to it
- wear your name tag on the right hand side as that is automatically where their eyes look when you shake hands
- first things first: smile, make eye contact, introduce yourself, then talk about what you do
- networking is not all about you. First it should be all about "them" (which should help the process be less intimidating too). Get to know what you have in common and what you can do for each other before even mentioning that you need a job.
- too many people have a lack of confidence in what they have to offer and this really slows down their networking. Hopefully knowing this will relieve some stress for you.
- the concept of working the room means learning about people in a room by asking them questions and letting them talk about themselves. Use the 3 W's: Who are you? What do you need? What are you willing to share?
- informational interviews are very useful. I got my very first interview (after graduating) that way.
I went to a MITACS networking workshop at Carleton University and learned a lot from Donna Messer from ConnectUs Canada. I thought I knew networking, especially since I've done it a lot as External Affairs Executive of CU-WISE, but I realize now that I've still got a lot to learn. Since I'm no Donna Messer, I will just stick to explaining to you how important it is. I find that very few students realize that it's true what they say that you're only as good as your network.
Ever since I graduated with my master's from Carleton University and started looking for jobs, I've had the most success in attaining my career goals through meeting people and going to informational events. I always took the time to go to a relevant event in order to learn and to network. Even going to the networking workshop I explained above, I met some people who I could potentially have a valuable professional relationship with, including Donna Messer herself. Not convinced yet? My very first job offer came from networking. At a Carleton University networking event I met a Carleton student who knew me from CU-WISE, read my CU-WISE blogs before, and saw my website (gotta love social media!). At some point I offered him my resume and he said he'd get it off my website. Want another? At the Corporate and Community Social Responsibility Conference in 2009, I met the CEO of a very interesting company who invited me for an interview. Neither of these companies had any jobs listed on their careers page. This confirms what I learned at one of Carleton's workshops: that about 80% of jobs are in what is called "the hidden job market" (jobs that are not advertised to the public). Here are some networking tips:
- networking is not a social skill, it is a science with methodologies to it
- wear your name tag on the right hand side as that is automatically where their eyes look when you shake hands
- first things first: smile, make eye contact, introduce yourself, then talk about what you do
- networking is not all about you. First it should be all about "them" (which should help the process be less intimidating too). Get to know what you have in common and what you can do for each other before even mentioning that you need a job.
- too many people have a lack of confidence in what they have to offer and this really slows down their networking. Hopefully knowing this will relieve some stress for you.
- the concept of working the room means learning about people in a room by asking them questions and letting them talk about themselves. Use the 3 W's: Who are you? What do you need? What are you willing to share?
- informational interviews are very useful. I got my very first interview (after graduating) that way.
Career help available specifically for new graduates
MITACS - MITACS Accelerate program links businesses across the industrial spectrum with university-based expertise—in any faculty or department—through short-term research projects. They also hold helpful workshops such as on networking.
OCRI Talent Bridge - give Ontario’s young talent an opportunity to work closely with Ottawa based SME’s (Small and Medium Enterprises) in the areas of business strategy, marketing, sales and/or business communication. I met the head of the program, Manu Sharma, and he is a very knowledgeable and helpful individual
to be continued...
MITACS - MITACS Accelerate program links businesses across the industrial spectrum with university-based expertise—in any faculty or department—through short-term research projects. They also hold helpful workshops such as on networking.
OCRI Talent Bridge - give Ontario’s young talent an opportunity to work closely with Ottawa based SME’s (Small and Medium Enterprises) in the areas of business strategy, marketing, sales and/or business communication. I met the head of the program, Manu Sharma, and he is a very knowledgeable and helpful individual
to be continued...
Career Services
The following is a list of career and professional development services in Ottawa:
Carleton University Career Development and Co-operative Education Career Centre
Carleton's career centre has gotten me through all my co-op jobs, helping me learn about interviews, etiquette, resumes, and so on. I very much appreciated having access to their resources throughout my University years. Now that I have graduated I am still taking advantage of their networking events and workshops only I don't feel that they are enough for me. One thing I find they lack are career services specifically relevant to my field. For example, a while ago I went to a one-on-one consultation at Carleton for my resume and the person I had the consultation with did not help me as much as the one at ITO 2.0 did (see the next section for details about ITO 2.0). Not only that, but ITO 2.0 also helped me figure out what the market is like in a technical field specifically, what technical employers look for in a resume, and so on. This could be an area Carleton could improve upon, or at least guide graduates to more helpful services such as ITO 2.0.
And while on the topic, I also wanted to mention that Carleton's CDCEorganizes a week long "Career Development Certificate Program" for new grads. The program sounds excellent as they "address the needs of new grads entering the workforce and engage them in the development of job preparedness". One problem: they offer it at the end of November. That's 3 months after I completed my master's and have already been looking for work. I had to learn about ITO 2.0, how to write a resume, how to network, etc. on my own these 3 months. I wish they offered this sooner.
ITO 2.0
I learned about ITO 2.0 through a friend. My dad knew about this service, so did many other people I know who are already working... but I found out through a friend. Hmm, something wrong with that. It would have been better if I would have known about this service through Carleton.
ITO 2.0 provides career services for free for people looking for work in the technical field. They can tell you about technical companies you've never heard of and even tell you the latest news about them. A real gem in my opinion. I've taken advantage of their introductory workshop (opened my eyes to new ways of searching for jobs), their one-on-one consultation services, their resume workshop, and their behavioral interview workshop. Not to mention I met other people there who were looking for work and were in my field. Many of them were very experienced in their field and had a lot of valuable advice to give.
W.P. Consulting & Associates
I met Wayne Pagani at the 2009 Ottawa Citizen Career Fair in Ottawa. He gave a few presentations, giving advice to job seekers. He showed passion and expert knowledge. He is "connecting people with people, resources and opportunities." Wayne can be reached at [email protected].
Rockhurst Careers Group
Pierre and Celine are owners of Rockhurst Careers Groups. I learned about them through a mentor of mine. They are very interesting and knowledgeable people who also recognize the need to help students in their career aspirations. I am hoping to get in touch with them soon and talk about how they can do that better.
Also, try staffing firms such as the FEP Search Group.
.... there are A LOT more services available for the general public as well, such as YMCA. I will list them later.
The following is a list of career and professional development services in Ottawa:
Carleton University Career Development and Co-operative Education Career Centre
Carleton's career centre has gotten me through all my co-op jobs, helping me learn about interviews, etiquette, resumes, and so on. I very much appreciated having access to their resources throughout my University years. Now that I have graduated I am still taking advantage of their networking events and workshops only I don't feel that they are enough for me. One thing I find they lack are career services specifically relevant to my field. For example, a while ago I went to a one-on-one consultation at Carleton for my resume and the person I had the consultation with did not help me as much as the one at ITO 2.0 did (see the next section for details about ITO 2.0). Not only that, but ITO 2.0 also helped me figure out what the market is like in a technical field specifically, what technical employers look for in a resume, and so on. This could be an area Carleton could improve upon, or at least guide graduates to more helpful services such as ITO 2.0.
And while on the topic, I also wanted to mention that Carleton's CDCEorganizes a week long "Career Development Certificate Program" for new grads. The program sounds excellent as they "address the needs of new grads entering the workforce and engage them in the development of job preparedness". One problem: they offer it at the end of November. That's 3 months after I completed my master's and have already been looking for work. I had to learn about ITO 2.0, how to write a resume, how to network, etc. on my own these 3 months. I wish they offered this sooner.
ITO 2.0
I learned about ITO 2.0 through a friend. My dad knew about this service, so did many other people I know who are already working... but I found out through a friend. Hmm, something wrong with that. It would have been better if I would have known about this service through Carleton.
ITO 2.0 provides career services for free for people looking for work in the technical field. They can tell you about technical companies you've never heard of and even tell you the latest news about them. A real gem in my opinion. I've taken advantage of their introductory workshop (opened my eyes to new ways of searching for jobs), their one-on-one consultation services, their resume workshop, and their behavioral interview workshop. Not to mention I met other people there who were looking for work and were in my field. Many of them were very experienced in their field and had a lot of valuable advice to give.
W.P. Consulting & Associates
I met Wayne Pagani at the 2009 Ottawa Citizen Career Fair in Ottawa. He gave a few presentations, giving advice to job seekers. He showed passion and expert knowledge. He is "connecting people with people, resources and opportunities." Wayne can be reached at [email protected].
Rockhurst Careers Group
Pierre and Celine are owners of Rockhurst Careers Groups. I learned about them through a mentor of mine. They are very interesting and knowledgeable people who also recognize the need to help students in their career aspirations. I am hoping to get in touch with them soon and talk about how they can do that better.
Also, try staffing firms such as the FEP Search Group.
.... there are A LOT more services available for the general public as well, such as YMCA. I will list them later.
Cover Letters
Cover letters are tricky to write. First of all, I am far more experienced in technical writing than essay type writing or writing about myself. That is why this part was the most difficult for me. I wanted to be formal but friendly, technical but show my personality, as well as not stand out like an inexperienced new grad but yet I wanted to be seen as different from the rest. How do you do that on a blank piece of paper? Practice and don't let those sample cover letters take away from your personality. I made that mistake at some point.
I remember my wake up call was when I applied to an entry level job at a large energy company. I went to their presentation at Carleton so that I could find out exactly what they were looking for in their candidates. I got exactly that and I learned that the reviewers read the applications like this:
- if the first few sentences of the cover letter are not interesting, they skip the applicant...
else they read the entire cover letter.
- if the entire cover letter is interesting to them, they read the resume...
else they skip the resume.
What I got out of that presentation is that I better write a very good cover letter showing them that I got everything that they are looking for in a candidate. They also mentioned something that really changed the way I write cover letters. They said that my cover letter better not sound generic. So I went home, poured myself a cup of tea, sat at my computer and put on my creative writing cap. The most important part was that I started with a blank page and with the help of their guidelines, the sentences came on their own. I knew exactly what I wanted to say. I think it really helped to have a blank page because it allowed me to be creative rather than follow some sample cover letter. I wrote more of a creative essay about myself and how I could fit the company than a structured letter. The only guidelines I followed were that the first few sentences were eye popping (or else they'll chuck my cover letter into the garbage), the middle kept them reading, and the ending made them want to also read my resume. I got an interview in the end... and 96 people were chosen out of about 2600 applicants.
Cover letters are tricky to write. First of all, I am far more experienced in technical writing than essay type writing or writing about myself. That is why this part was the most difficult for me. I wanted to be formal but friendly, technical but show my personality, as well as not stand out like an inexperienced new grad but yet I wanted to be seen as different from the rest. How do you do that on a blank piece of paper? Practice and don't let those sample cover letters take away from your personality. I made that mistake at some point.
I remember my wake up call was when I applied to an entry level job at a large energy company. I went to their presentation at Carleton so that I could find out exactly what they were looking for in their candidates. I got exactly that and I learned that the reviewers read the applications like this:
- if the first few sentences of the cover letter are not interesting, they skip the applicant...
else they read the entire cover letter.
- if the entire cover letter is interesting to them, they read the resume...
else they skip the resume.
What I got out of that presentation is that I better write a very good cover letter showing them that I got everything that they are looking for in a candidate. They also mentioned something that really changed the way I write cover letters. They said that my cover letter better not sound generic. So I went home, poured myself a cup of tea, sat at my computer and put on my creative writing cap. The most important part was that I started with a blank page and with the help of their guidelines, the sentences came on their own. I knew exactly what I wanted to say. I think it really helped to have a blank page because it allowed me to be creative rather than follow some sample cover letter. I wrote more of a creative essay about myself and how I could fit the company than a structured letter. The only guidelines I followed were that the first few sentences were eye popping (or else they'll chuck my cover letter into the garbage), the middle kept them reading, and the ending made them want to also read my resume. I got an interview in the end... and 96 people were chosen out of about 2600 applicants.
Resumes
During a trip to Toronto for an interview, I met many other students who were chosen for an interview as well. One particular student I met was a chemical engineering student from the east coast of Canada who was very close to completing her undergraduate degree. I noticed that she was quite outgoing in nature and learned that she was involved with her engineering society. At some point during our conversation she told me that she was the only one of a group of three friends who got an interview with this company. She explained that this surprised her because, compared to her, they also do a lot of extracurricular activities (only that they are all quite academic based) and that they have much better marks than her (not to mention in a more relevant field of engineering to the position).
This was quite interesting to me so I spoke with her some more about it. I concluded that her friends were not able to express their leadership potential and skills as well as her in their cover letter and resume. When I asked her if she got help writing her resume, she said she used a resume builder provided my her school and that it essentially asked her questions step by step and built her resume for her.
i thought back about my few months of job searching and asked myself why it took me 6 months and 3 versions to come up with a resume that does me justice. Was I like one of those women a few months ago? I know I didn't get the right help right away, not to mention I didn't have much experience in writing a resume for the real world (ie. full-time positions as opposed to co-op positions).
So my point is that your resume may not be doing you justice and if I was you I would make sure you put a lot of effort into it right away. After all that is your gateway to an interview. Here are my top suggestions:
During a trip to Toronto for an interview, I met many other students who were chosen for an interview as well. One particular student I met was a chemical engineering student from the east coast of Canada who was very close to completing her undergraduate degree. I noticed that she was quite outgoing in nature and learned that she was involved with her engineering society. At some point during our conversation she told me that she was the only one of a group of three friends who got an interview with this company. She explained that this surprised her because, compared to her, they also do a lot of extracurricular activities (only that they are all quite academic based) and that they have much better marks than her (not to mention in a more relevant field of engineering to the position).
This was quite interesting to me so I spoke with her some more about it. I concluded that her friends were not able to express their leadership potential and skills as well as her in their cover letter and resume. When I asked her if she got help writing her resume, she said she used a resume builder provided my her school and that it essentially asked her questions step by step and built her resume for her.
i thought back about my few months of job searching and asked myself why it took me 6 months and 3 versions to come up with a resume that does me justice. Was I like one of those women a few months ago? I know I didn't get the right help right away, not to mention I didn't have much experience in writing a resume for the real world (ie. full-time positions as opposed to co-op positions).
So my point is that your resume may not be doing you justice and if I was you I would make sure you put a lot of effort into it right away. After all that is your gateway to an interview. Here are my top suggestions:
- Make an appointment with an HR (Human Resources) person who has lots of experience and is familiar with your field (let's say a technical field). Spend at least 3 hours with them and make sure they ask you lots of questions and really dig deep into what you accomplished in your work, school, etc. It is not enough if they just look it over, make a few suggestions, and pass it on back to you. I did this several times with friends and colleagues, and it was very useful as it got my wheels turning, but it just didn't cut it. When they dig deep, you will be surprised to find out that one sentence sounds like your key strength is stapling documents together and another sounds like you worked isolated in your cubicle for every one of your work terms. I made an appointment at ITO 2.0 , got my 3 hours worth, and this is a true story.
- Your resume will rarely be able to express your personality, interpersonal skills, and values. I would highly recommend creating your own website, such as this one, to make a more detailed profile. I used Weebly and it is quite easy to work with. And Carleton Career Services, every employer I met, and every business person agrees with me about the enormous benefit this will give you.
Interviews
This section is still under construction, but here are some quick tips that I have learned:
- don't wear any kind of scent, many people are allergic.
- smile and speak with enthusiasm
- find out who is interviewing you so you get an idea of what kind of interview it will be
- be aware of behavioural interviews and have plenty of "stories" prepared
- of course research the company beforehand
- always send a thank you note the next day or so (e-mail is fine). That means you'll need to grab the interviewer's card or get their e-mail somehow.
- remember that a surprisingly big part of choosing a candidate for a job is if the interviewer likes the candidate and if their personality fits with that of their future team-mates
This section is still under construction, but here are some quick tips that I have learned:
- don't wear any kind of scent, many people are allergic.
- smile and speak with enthusiasm
- find out who is interviewing you so you get an idea of what kind of interview it will be
- be aware of behavioural interviews and have plenty of "stories" prepared
- of course research the company beforehand
- always send a thank you note the next day or so (e-mail is fine). That means you'll need to grab the interviewer's card or get their e-mail somehow.
- remember that a surprisingly big part of choosing a candidate for a job is if the interviewer likes the candidate and if their personality fits with that of their future team-mates
French Course
Showing that you're interested in learning is always nice, especially when the topic is relevant to your career goals. For example, something I've always wanted to do was get back up to speed on my French. Learning other languages is also useful, right? The classes I'm taking are with Ecole des Adultes Le Carrefour under their program called French as a Second Language. The brochure they provide gives more detailed information.
Showing that you're interested in learning is always nice, especially when the topic is relevant to your career goals. For example, something I've always wanted to do was get back up to speed on my French. Learning other languages is also useful, right? The classes I'm taking are with Ecole des Adultes Le Carrefour under their program called French as a Second Language. The brochure they provide gives more detailed information.